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Massive Theft Ring Busted on Northeast Side

by Jim Forsyth

Police say a 32 year old man arrested today in Converse is the leader of a burglary ring which was responsible for the theft of hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of tools and electronics from homes, businesses, and storage lockers across northeast Bexar County, 1200 WOAI news reports.

Police from San Antonio and several Metrocom communities stormed into the man's home shortly before noon today, and San Antonio Police Sergeant Javier Salazar says the arrest almost turned tragic.

"He started loading a weapon as officers were coming in the front door," Salazar said."Fortunately officers were able to get him secured without any gunfire at all."

They then went to a storage locker along Lookout Road in Selma, and recovered a gold mine of stolen tools, electronics, and other items.

"We're not ruling out the fact that there may be several other people involved, perhaps over a dozen," Salazar said.

Salazar said the amount of stolen merchandise found in the huge stolen locker amounted to well into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.He says the guy was 'stealing everything that wasn't nailed down.'

He says one load alone consisted of more than $100,000 in tools stolen from a single Snap-On Tools distributorship.

"Some of these items came from storage units, where they were stealing it, and they brought it to their own storage unit, which is where we found it today."

Salazar says officers will now begin some 'reverse police work,' looking through theft and burglary reports to try to reunite victims with the items that were stolen.

He says the suspect made things worse for himself when he was being arrested.

"He was in the process of, when he heard detectives coming through the front door, he started dumping methamphetamines out one of the side windows, not knowing that he was dumping it right on the feet of two detectives who were standing right outside of the window."